Evening bag having top recess for a flower arrangement

ABSTRACT

An evening bag has a top recess which is adapted to receive a plastic liner and a piece of floral foam within the liner. Flowers are arranged in the floral foam and provide an attractive flower arrangement as a part of the evening bag. The flowers may be live or silk. When the flowers are live, the floral foam can be first soaked in water prior to inserting the flowers. The plastic liner keeps the moisture contained so that it does not damage the bag or its contents. If, after repeated use, the floral foam deteriorates, a replacement can be obtained at most florists or craft shops.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates broadly to purses and hand bags More particularly, this invention relates to a purse or hand bag having a top recess adapted to receive a plastic liner and a foam insert within which flowers may be arranged.

2. State of the Art

On special occasions, fashionable women carry ornate hand bags and often flowers in one form or another. Such occasions include weddings, galas, benefits, proms, first communions, confirmations, bat mitzvahs, etc. There are a wide variety of ornate purses and hand bags (collectively referred to as “evening bags”) that are available in a wide variety of styles. Flowers typically take the form of a corsage, a bouquet, or a nosegay. Generally the arrangement must be relatively small so that it can be easily carried together with the woman's evening bag.

On these special occasions, it is also customary to present attending women with a gift of flowers having one of the forms described above. It is also customary to provide centerpiece flower arrangements on dining tables. At the end of the evening, the centerpiece is typically given to one of the women sitting at the table based on some sort of lottery among all of the women at the table.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a new way to present flowers for women at special occasions.

In accord with this object, which will be discussed in detail below, the present invention provides an evening bag with a top recess which is adapted to receive a plastic liner and a piece of floral foam within the liner. Flowers are arranged in the floral foam and provide an attractive flower arrangement as a part of the evening bag. The flowers may be live or silk. When the flowers are live, the floral foam can be first soaked in water prior to inserting the flowers. The plastic liner keeps the moisture contained so that it does not damage the bag or its contents. If, after repeated use, the floral foam deteriorates, a replacement can be obtained at most florists or craft shops.

The presently preferred embodiment is based on upper and lower cylinders which are covered with fabric and coupled to each other with a hinge. A pair of straps are coupled to the lower cylinder, preferably by ornate buttons having the shape of flowers. A cylindrical well is provided in the upper cylinder. The well is adapted to receive a removable plastic liner which is adapted to receive a removable cylindrical floral foam piece. A snap clasp is provided opposite the hinge to keep the bag closed. The clasp is also preferably coupled to the upper and lower cylinders by ornate buttons having the shape of flowers.

The illustrated embodiments show upper and lower cylinders generated from an ellipse, although other shapes could be used. Similarly, the well on the top of the upper cylinder is shown to be a circular cylinder, but other shapes could be used.

The provided embodiments show two different sizes, one for women and a smaller size for girls. In either case, the interior of the bags is sufficiently spacious to contain personal effects typically carried in an evening bag. An alternate embodiment has a mirror on the inside of the upper cylinder.

The evening bag of the invention makes an ideal gift for women attending special functions. It may be provided directly to consumers who wish to create their own flower arrangements or it may be provided to florists who will sell the bags with flower arrangements in them. The flower arrangements created by the florist may be customized for a particular customer/event. The bag of the invention also makes an ideal centerpiece to be given to one of the women seated at the table at the end of the evening.

The different sizes, shapes, and types of fabric used to cover the bag are virtually limitless, thereby allowing the bag to be custom designed to aesthetically match any decor or clothing.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the detailed description taken in conjunction with the provided figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the bag of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but containing a flower arrangement;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bag partially opened;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment having a mirror in the upper cylinder;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the bag fully opened;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but of an alternate embodiment smaller bag; and

FIGS. 8-10 show steps of how to use the bag with a live flower arrangement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning now to FIGS. 1, 4 and 6, an evening bag 10 according to the invention includes an upper cylinder 12 and a lower cylinder 14 which are coupled to each other by a hinge 16 and a snap fastener 18. As illustrated, the hinge 16 is simply a piece of fabric. A pair of carrying straps 20, 22 are attached to the lower cylinder 14 by decorative buttons. As seen in FIG. 6, strap 20 is coupled to the lower cylinder 14 by buttons 24, 25. Though not illustrated, the buttons are preferably designed in the shape of a flower. The snap fastener is also preferably made of buttons in the shape of a flower.

As seen best in FIG. 1, the upper cylinder 12 is provided with a cylindrical well 28 on its top surface. The well 28 is adapted to receive a plastic liner 30 which is adapted to receive a cylindrical piece of floral foam.

The upper cylinder, lower cylinder and the buttons are preferably covered with a decorative fabric and the straps are made of a material that matches or compliments the fabric. The cylinders themselves can be made of light wood, plastic, etc. provided that it imparts sufficient rigidity. The plastic liner is preferably clear or of a color that matches or compliments the fabric.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the liner 30 is provided with a peripheral lip 30 a. When the bag is assembled with the liner 30 in the well 28 and the foam 32 in the liner 20, the lip 30 a of the liner rests on the top surface of the upper cylinder 12. This facilitates removal of the liner and foam from the well.

FIG. 3 shows the bag 10 assembled, closed and with a floral arrangement 34 placed in the foam 32. The steps of placing the arrangement as shown in FIG. 3 will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 8-10.

FIGS. 4 and 6 illustrate the bag 10 partially opened and fully opened, respectively. It can be appreciated that the lower cylinder 14 has an upper flange 14 a which centers and aligns the cylinders 12 and 14 when they are closed. It can also be appreciated that the fastener 18 has two parts 18 a and 18 b, 18 a being coupled to the upper cylinder 12 and 18 b being coupled to the lower cylinder 14. These two parts 18 a and 18 b are made of opposite mating genders as known in the art of fasteners. Finally, with regard to these figures, it can be seen that the two cylinders are coupled to each other by two interior straps 36, 38 which prevent the bag from opening more than a predetermined amount, e.g. as shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 5 shows an alternate embodiment 10′ which is identical to the embodiment 10 but for the inclusion of a mirror 40 on the interior of the upper cylinder 12′. The illustrated mirror is coextensive with the interior of the cylinder 12′ but it will be appreciated that a smaller mirror of the same or different shape could be used.

FIG. 7 shows another alternate embodiment 10″ which is identical to the embodiment 10 but is smaller. It will be notice in FIG. 7 that the liner 30″ and the foam 32″ are substantially the same size as the liner and foam 30, 32 and thus occupy more of the upper surface of the upper cylinder 12″ than in the embodiment 10. It will be appreciated, however, that the liner and foam could be made smaller for this embodiment. In addition, this smaller embodiment can be provided with or without an interior mirror.

Referring now to FIGS. 8-10 and 3, in that order. In order to prepare a live flower arrangement, the liner 30 and foam 32 are removed from the bag and placed under slowly running water as shown in FIG. 8. According to the preferred embodiment, it is suggested that the foam be soaked for two minutes. Excess water is drained from the foam as shown in FIG. 9. The outside of the plastic liner should be wiped free of moisture. Then flowers 34 are placed in the foam as shown in FIG. 10. When the flower arrangement is complete, the liner 30 is lifted under its lip 30 a and is placed into the well on the top of the upper cylinder 12 as shown in FIG. 3. If after repeated use, the foam deteriorates, a replacement can be obtained at most florist shops or craft supply shops. If silk flowers are used, it is not necessary to soak the foam.

The evening bag of the invention makes an ideal gift for women attending special functions. It may be provided directly to consumers who wish to create their own flower arrangements or it may be provided to florists who will sell the bags with flower arrangements in them. The flower arrangements created by the florist may be customized for a particular customer/event. The bag of the invention also makes an ideal centerpiece to be given to one of the women seated at the table at the end of the evening.

The different sizes, shapes, and types of fabric used to cover the bag are virtually limitless, thereby allowing the bag to be custom designed to aesthetically match any decor or clothing.

There have been described and illustrated herein several embodiments of an evening bag having a top recess for a flower arrangement. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it is not intended that the invention be limited thereto, as it is intended that the invention be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Thus, while particular shapes have been disclosed, it will be appreciated that other shapes could be used as well. For example, the upper and lower cylinders could be circular rather than elliptical or they could be polygonal. The same can be said for the liner and the foam. Thus, when the term “cylindrical” is used herein, it is intended to encompass structures having other than circular cross section, such as elliptical, square, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, etc. Also, although the hinge was shown as a piece of fabric, other types of hinges could be used. Further, while the bag has been shown with two carrying straps, a single strap or rigid handle could be used provided that the strap or handle can fold down along side the bag so as to not distract from the flowers when the bag is sitting on a table. In addition, while the carrying straps have been shown to be coupled to the lower cylinder, they could be coupled to the upper cylinder so long as the snap fastener is secure enough. It will therefore be appreciated by those skilled in the art that yet other modifications could be made to the provided invention without deviating from its spirit and scope as claimed. 

1. An evening bag, comprising: a substantially rigid upper portion; a substantially rigid lower portion; a hinge coupling said upper and lower portions, at least one carrying strap coupled to either the upper portion or lower portion, wherein said upper portion has an open top recess adapted to receive and display a flower arrangement when said bag is being carried by said at least one strap, and said upper portion is defined as the portion which faces up when said bag is being carried by said at least one strap.
 2. The bag according to claim 1, further comprising: a piece of floral foam sized to fit in said recess.
 3. The bag according to claim 2, further comprising: a plastic liner sized to fit in said recess, wherein said foam is sized to fit in said liner.
 4. (canceled)
 5. The bag according to claim 1, wherein: said at least one carrying strap comprises a pair of carrying straps coupled to said lower portion.
 6. The bag according to claim 1, further comprising: a fastener located approximately opposite said hinge and adapted to fasten the upper and lower portions preventing them from hingedly opening.
 7. The bag according to claim 1, further comprising: a mirror mounted on the interior of the upper portion.
 8. The bag according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one interior strap coupling the upper and lower portions and limiting hinged movement of one relative the other.
 9. The bag according to claim 1, wherein: said upper and lower portions are covered with a decorative fabric.
 10. The bag according to claim 1, wherein: the upper and lower portions are substantially cylindrical.
 11. The bag according to claim 10, wherein: the upper and lower portions have an elliptical foot print.
 12. An evening bag, comprising: an upper cylindrical member; a lower cylindrical member engagable with said upper cylindrical member; and a piece of floral foam, wherein said upper cylindrical member has an upper surface with a recess adapted to receive said piece of floral foam and said lower cylindrical member defines a compartment which is isolated from said recess.
 13. The bag according to claim 12, wherein: said recess is a cylindrical well.
 14. The bag according to claim 12, further comprising: a cylindrical plastic liner sized to fit into said recess.
 15. The bag according to claim 14, wherein: said piece of floral foam is a cylindrical piece of floral foam sized to fit into said liner
 16. An evening bag comprising: a lower member, an upper member hingedly coupled to said lower member, said upper member defining an upper surface recess, and a carrying strap arranged so that when said bag is carried by said strap, said upper member faces up.
 17. The bag according to claim 16, further comprising: a piece of floral foam disposed in said recess.
 18. The bag according to claim 17, further comprising: a plastic liner disposed in said recess with said floral foam being disposed in said liner.
 19. The bag according to claim 16, further comprising: a mirror mounted on the interior of the upper member.
 20. The bag according to claim 16, wherein: said strap is attached one of said upper and lower members by one or more decorative buttons. 